Kyle Spence

Kyle Cameron Walter Spence (born 14 January 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Norwegian side Øygarden. He has represented Scotland at youth international level.

Kyle Spence
Personal information
Full name Kyle Cameron Walter Spence[1]
Date of birth (1997-01-14) 14 January 1997
Place of birth Croydon, Surrey, England
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.71 m)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Øygarden
Number 11
Youth career
–2014 Crystal Palace
2014–2015 Coventry City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2017 Coventry City 1 (0)
2017 Hampton & Richmond Borough 4 (0)
2017 Kingstonian 2 (0)
2017 East Grinstead Town 4 (0)
2018 Valdres 23[3] (9)
2019 Alta 26 (4)
2020– Øygarden 16 (0)
National team
2012–2013 Scotland U16 7 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:46, 21 December 2020 (UTC)

Born in Croydon, Spence began his career with local club Crystal Palace before joining Coventry City who he made his professional debut for later that year. He has played in Norway since 2018.

Club career

Career in England

Born in Croydon, Surrey, Spence attended Oasis Academy Shirley Park and trained at Fulham Academy but chose to sign with the Crystal Palace Academy. He played for Croydon Schools FA and Surrey Schools FA U14 county team, they won the English Schools U14 National County Cup final on 10 May 2011 by beating Oxford 4–3 on penalties at Brentford's Griffin Park and featured notable players, such as, Jeremie Boga, Patrick Roberts and Ryan Sweeney.[4][5] The following year, Spence went on to win the national title on 24 April 2012 with his school, as they beat Ribblesdale High School 3–0 at Derby County's Pride Park Stadium.[6] On 7 May 2013, he won the Crystal Palace Oasis Academy player of the year.[7] Spence was part of the Crystal Palace Academy squad coached by John Salako and Mark Bright.[8]

Spence joined Coventry City in 2014.[5][9] He made his professional debut as a substitute on 2 September 2014 in a 1–0 Football League Trophy win over Wycombe Wanderers, coming on to replace Mohamed Coulibaly after 80 minutes.[10] Following his progression with the U18's squad, Spence was offered a professional contract with the club but he did not sign the deal and left Coventry City in the summer of 2015.[11]

After spending time on trial at Millwall, Spence re-signed with Coventry City for the second time in February 2016, until the end of the season.[12] [13] After making his return, Spence played in the club's reserve side for the season and signed a one-year contract extension with Coventry City.[14] Following this, he made his first team appearance of the 2016–17 season, coming on as a 67th minutes substitute, in a 0–0 draw against Shrewsbury Town on 13 August 2016.[15] His second appearance of the season came on 23 August 2016 came against Norwich City in the second round of the League Cup, as the club lost 6–1.[16] Having made two appearances in all competitions, Spence was released at the end of the 2016–17 season.[17]

Spence joined Hampton & Richmond Borough on 4 August 2017.[18] He made his debut for the club, coming on as a 55th minute substitute, in a 1–1 draw against East Thurrock United on 5 August 2017.[19] Spence went on to make four appearances for Hampton & Richmond Borough before leaving the club to join Kingstonian on 29 August 2017 and then joined East Grinstead Town the following month.[20]

Valdres

On 11 February 2018, Spence moved to Norway, where he signed for Norwegian fourth-tier side Valdres.[21]

On 14 April 2018, Spence scored a hat trick on his league debut against Vestfossen, resulting a 4–1 win for the club.[22] This was followed up by scoring his fourth goal for Valdres, in a 2–1 win against Brumunddal in the first round of the Norwegian Cup and scored three days later against Skjetten Fotball.[23] Since joining the club, he quickly established himself in the first team.[24] Spence later scored five more goals later in the 2018 season, including a brace against Østsiden.[25] At the end of the 2018 season, he finished the season with 27 appearances, 10 goals and 8 assists in all competitions.[3] Following this, Spence did not sign a contract with Valdres, resulting in him leaving the club.[26]

Alta

It was reported on 8 February 2019 that Spence went on trial with Norwegian third-tier side Alta.[27] His trial proved to be successful and he signed for the club on 14 March 2019.[28]

Spence made his debut for Alta in the opening game of the season against Mjølner, coming on as a 79th minute substitute, in a 3–0 win.[29] On 22 May, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–0 win over Fløya in the Norwegian Football Cup before scoring his first league goal just over two weeks later in a 2–2 draw with Asker.[30] Since joining Alta, Spence quickly established himself in the starting eleven for the club.[31] It wasn’t until on 1 September 2019 when he scored twice for Alta, in a 3–2 win against Sotra.[32] Three weeks later on 22 September 2019, Spence scored his fifth goal for the club, in a 2–1 win against Kjelsas IL.[33] At the end of the 2019 season, he went on to make twenty–nine appearances and scoring five times in all competitions.[3] Following this, Alta offered Spence a new contract to stay at the club.[34]

Øygarden

On 8 January 2020, Spence joined newly formed Norwegian First Division side Øygarden instead.[35] However, due to the pandemic, the season was pushed back to July.[36]

On 20 July 2020, he made his Norwegian First Division debut for his new side as a substitute in a 4-4 draw with Raufoss.[37] However since joining the club, Spence found his playing time, mostly coming from the substitute bench.[38] Having failed to score a goal for Øygarden, he went on to make sixteen appearances in all competitions.[3]

International career

Spence was called up by Scotland under-16 in 2012, having been eligible to play for Scotland through his grandparents and made his debut on 21 August 2012 against Latvia U16.[21][5][39] He went on to make seven appearances for the under-16s, scoring one goal against Turkey in 2012.[40][41]

Career statistics
As of 21 December 2020
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Coventry City 2014–15 League One0000001[lower-alpha 1]010
2015–16 0000000000
2016–17 1000100020
Coventry total 1000101030
Hampton & Richmond Borough 2017–18 National League South4000000040
Kingstonian 2017–18 Isthmian Premier2010000030
East Grinstead Town 2017–18 Isthmian D1 South4000001050
Valdres 2018 3. divisjon2394100002710
Alta 2019 2. divisjon264310000295
Øygarden 2020 OBOS-ligaen160000000160
Career total 76138210208716
  1. Appearances in Football League Trophy

Personal life

Spence's great aunt is Madge Saunders, a Jamaican Christian minister and community worker who was the first woman in the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands to serve as a parish minister.[42]

References
  1. "The Football League Limited: Club list of registered players as at 16th May 2015" (PDF). The Football League. 16 May 2015. p. 44. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  2. "Kyle Cameron Walter Spence" (in Norwegian). Øygarden FK. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  3. "Kyle Spence Kampstatistikk" [Kyle Spence statistics] (in Norwegian). Football Association of Norway. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  4. "English Schools' Football Association (ESFA) – News 2010–2011". www.esfa.co.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  5. "Croydon schoolboy Kyle Spence called up to play for Scotland". News Shopper. 19 October 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  6. "Under 15s Named National Champions". Crystal Palace F.C. 4 July 2012. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  7. "Awards Night Round-Up". Crystal Palace F.C. 7 May 2013. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  8. "Academy Report: CPFC 1-5 Southampton". Crystal Palace F.C. 27 March 2013. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
    "Academy Report: Cray 0-3 Palace U-18s". Crystal Palace F.C. 1 August 2013. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
    "FA Youth Cup: Sheff Weds 4-4 Palace". Crystal Palace F.C. 11 December 2013. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  9. "Look: All you need to know about the six Coventry City Academy starlets given pro contracts". Coventry Telegraph. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  10. "Wycombe Wanderers 0–1 Coventry City". CCFC. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  11. "Coventry City Football Club offer six Academy second-year scholars professional terms with the club". Coventry City F.C. 16 March 2015. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
    "Coventry City still waiting on contract decision from Academy starlet Kyle Spence". Coventry Telegraph. 16 July 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  12. "Kyle Spence: Millwall give trial to teenage former Coventry winger". BBC. 7 September 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  13. "SIGNING: Coventry City have signed winger Kyle Spence until the end of the season". Coventry City F.C. 15 February 2016. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  14. "MATCH REPORT: Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Coventry City - Under-21s denied victory at Hillsborough". Coventry City F.C. 16 February 2016. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
    ""It's the best I've seen from the group and we'll have a strong end to the season." - Coventry City's Lee Glover". Coventry City F.C. 8 March 2016. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
    ""Vladimir looks like he's going to be a good addition, suits the way we play football." - Coventry City's Lee Glover". Coventry City F.C. 4 April 2016. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
    "MATCH REPORT: Coventry City 3-0 Hull City - Under-21s record fourth straight victory as Tigers tamed". Coventry City F.C. 21 April 2016. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
    "SIGNING: Coventry City sign Devon and Dion Kelly-Evans, and Kyle Spence on one-year contracts". Coventry Telegraph. 24 May 2016. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  15. "Coventry City 0–0 Shrewsbury Town". BBC Sport. 13 August 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  16. "MATCH REPORT: Norwich City 6-1 Coventry City - The Sky Blues exit the cup after Carrow Road defeat". Coventry City F.C. 23 August 2016. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  17. "NEWS: Coventry City release nine players including Nathan Clarke, Ruben Lameiras and Marcus Tudgay". www.ccfc.co.uk. 2 May 2017. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  18. "Spence becomes a Beaver – News – Hampton & Richmond Borough FC". www.hamptonfc.net. 4 August 2017. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  19. "BEAVERS ON THE SPOT BUT GET POINT". Hampton & Richmond Borough F.C. 5 August 2017. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  20. "Squad News". Hampton & Richmond Borough F.C. 29 August 2017. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
    "Kyle Spence – Kingstonian". kingstonian.com. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
    "Kyle Spence – Football Web Pages". footballwebpages.co.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  21. "Kyle Spence klar for Valdres FK!" [Kyle Spence ready for Valdres FK!] (in Norwegian). Valdres F.K. 11 February 2018. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  22. "Kampreferat av Vestfossen – Valdres" (in Norwegian). Football Association of Norway. 14 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
    "Knallsterk seriedebut!" (in Norwegian). Valdres F.K. 14 April 2018. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  23. "Valdres FK til 2. runde etter cupthriller" (in Norwegian). Oa.no. 18 April 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
    "Feide Skjetten av banen, vant 5-1" (in Norwegian). Oa.no. 21 April 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  24. "Veloso imponerte Godset-sjefen da Valdres FK hang med lenge" (in Norwegian). Oa.no. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
    "Valdres FKs engelske spillere har VM-feber" (in Norwegian). Oa.no. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
    "Stian og Snorre er helt likt på OAs spillerbørs" (in Norwegian). Oa.no. 21 July 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  25. "Reiste fra Liverpool for å se Valdres slå Selbak 8–1" (in Norwegian). Oa.no. 19 May 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
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  26. "Spansk og fransk i «nye» Valdres FK" (in Norwegian). Oa.no. 3 January 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  27. "Alta IF tester ut engelsk angrepsspiller" (in Norwegian). Alta Posten. 8 February 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  28. "Driblesterk engelskmann klar for Alta IF" (in Norwegian). Alta Postem. 14 March 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  29. "Drømmestart for Philips" (in Norwegian). Alten Posten. 13 April 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  30. "Fløya - Alta". Norwegian Football Federation. 22 May 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
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  31. "Går trolig glipp av Senja-kampen" (in Norwegian). Alta Posten. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
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  32. "Brøt forbannelsen" (in Norwegian). Alta Posten. 1 September 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  33. "Tre sterke poeng under folkekampen" (in Norwegian). Alta Posten. 22 September 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  34. "Rett mann til rett tid" (in Norwegian). Alta Posten. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  35. "Følger Lazaro sørover" (in Norwegian). Alten Posten. 9 January 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
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  36. "Toppfotballen i Norges stoppes i første omgang til 15. april". www.fotball.no (in Norwegian). Norwegian Football Federation. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
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  39. "Youngsters Earn International Call". Crystal Palace F.C. 27 February 2013. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  40. "Kyle Spence Scottish FA profile". Scottish Football Association. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  41. "CPFC Academy - International Break". Crystal Palace F.C. 18 September 2012. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  42. "Weekend review 23rd & 24th June". englishplayersabroad.com. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
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